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Specific Plan Fact Sheet & Timeline

WHAT:

Originally adopted by the City of Orange in 1989 and then amended several times over the past decade, the Chapman University Specific Plan serves as the land use "rules book" that guides the planning and development of University-owned property.

WHY:

The University's updated Specific Plan consolidated a long list of multi-layered ordinances and regulations contained within several governing policy documents, including:

Design Standards for the Amendment to the Southwest Project Area

The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation

The Historic Preservation Design Standards for Old Towne

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)

The City of Orange General Plan, Zoning Ordinance and Local CEQA Guidelines

The Specific Plan regulations determine how the University designs new buildings, restores and preserves existing structures, addresses landscape, roadway and infrastructure issues, and meets the needs of neighbors, local businesses, University students, faculty and staff, as well as the greater Orange community.

The approved Specific Plan achieves the following:

Consolidates criteria from several governing policy documents

Addresses the need for resident student parking

Enhances architectural guidelines

Establishes a master landscape plan

Establishes a historic building evaluation/review process

Provides historic preservation/enhancement guidelines

Addresses edge transition criteria/campus-community interface

Identifies Chapman University's Area of Interest

WHERE:

The Chapman University Specific Plan Amendment No. 6 encompasses four key areas of geographical interest, including the following:

Areas already developed by the University and contained in the original adopted Specific Plan

Areas added to the updated Specific Plan (i.e., properties associated with the Center for the Arts)

Potential growth area (i.e., area located on the north side of Palm Avenue, immediately west of the AT&SF Railroad line)

WHO/HOW:

The University prepared an update in 2011 to the Chapman University Specific Plan (with an accompanying Mitigated Negative Declaration) that incorporated the new areas and identified and mitigated all potential impacts associated with the new updated plan to below a level of significance. The Specific Plan was reviewed by the Planning Commission and forwarded to the City Council for final review and approval. All hearings were open to the public.

Fall 2001: Scope of the updated SP warranted the need for a new Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

October 2001: EIR Notice of Preparation issued to solicit inquiries from key agencies, organizations and individuals.

January 2002 - August 2002: Focus groups and numerous community
meetings conducted to obtain neighbor, business owners and community
leaders' needs, concerns and comments. Updated SP and EIR prepared,
reflecting community input.

May 2002: Screencheck SP and EIR submitted to the City of Orange Planning Dept. for preliminary review and comment.

September 2002: Villa Park Orchards and Sycamore Parking Lot sites
added to the SP area and additional environmental analysis on those
sites conducted.

September 2002 - January 2003: EIR Notice of Preparation issued for
the addition of Villa Park Orchards and Sycamore Parking Lot. Revisions
made to SP and EIR documents based on preliminary staff comments.
Chapman University conducts its review of SP and EIR.

January 2003 - March 2003: Draft SP and 2nd Screencheck Draft EIR
documents submitted to the City's Planning Dept. for review. Small
neighborhood meetings conducted with neighbors, business owners and
community leaders to obtain additional input.

March 2003: Draft EIR prepared based on City comments.

Spring/Summer 2003: Draft EIR distributed for public review and
comment. Responses made to public comments. Final EIR prepared and
submitted to City of Orange Planning Dept.

Summer 2003: Planning
Commission Hearings conducted, culminating with a vote. SP forwarded to
the City Council for review and action.